Medical image datasets include medical images of vascular structures. These medical images may be two-dimensional (such as in vascular x-ray), or three-dimensional (such as in CT angiography or MR angiography). The three-dimensional image may be a volumetric image, which means that vascular structures are represented in terms of gray values. Vessel tracking tools exist that can identify parts of the vascular structure, based on these gray values.
For example, US 2008/0101667 A1 discloses a device for presenting information associated with a blood vessel to a user for assessment of the blood vessel. The device includes a memory, the memory being capable of storing imaging data defined in three dimensions, and a processor operably coupled to the memory to receive the imaging data. The processor is configured to present a two-dimensional slice of three-dimensional imaging data of a blood vessel to a user in a first user interface; to receive a blood vessel selection from the user, wherein the user selects the blood vessel through an interaction with the first user interface; to identify a blood vessel path associated with the received blood vessel selection from the three-dimensional imaging data; and to present an intensity of the selected blood vessel along the identified blood vessel path to the user for analysis of the selected blood vessel.